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When I was a kid uprights always came with a hard bench, and grands with a soft bench. Not sure why, but usually the hard bench came with the upright and matched, so it would look nice in the living room. Most people who had a grand were pros and probably went out and got the bench they liked. The hard benches always had a lid so you could hide the music inside. It was a small crisis when we acquired enough sheet music that it couldn't all fit in the piano bench.

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"I don't play accurately - anyone can play accurately - but I play with wonderful expression. As far as the piano is concerned, sentiment is my forte. I keep science for Life."

I've been using an office chair beside one of my pianos because it's sitting right next to the desk, and I'm surprised at how well that works. I still have an "official" piano bench at the other one because it's the nice one and sits in the living room.

In my day, they were called stools, not benches: music stools. We had a soft-topped music stool which opened, even though we had an upright piano, not a grand. But I can't say it matched anything else in the lounge. It had a threadbare khaki grey material on top which made it look like a tired old hippopotamus with sores.

Except to play the piano, no one ever actually sat on the music stool except in times of crisis. Then they did.

Thing is, organ stools were invariably polished wood, which shined yer trousers quite nicely! . . .but they looked super, and were to me, more comfortable than a soft one. There were of course, pedals to operate which I suppose had a lot to do with it . . . and I`m sat at a kitchen chair which is rock hard, in front o` this screen . . .Rather think I prefer it this way , . .

Edited by peterws (03/06/1409:31 AM)

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"I'm playing all the right notes � but not necessarily in the right order." Eric Morecambe

I've been using an office chair beside one of my pianos because it's sitting right next to the desk, and I'm surprised at how well that works. I still have an "official" piano bench at the other one because it's the nice one and sits in the living room.

My back frequently bothers me when at the piano, so I was also considering a chair - but I don't know which to try. Would you have a link to the one that you're using, or something similar?

I've been using an office chair beside one of my pianos because it's sitting right next to the desk, and I'm surprised at how well that works. I still have an "official" piano bench at the other one because it's the nice one and sits in the living room.

My back frequently bothers me when at the piano, so I was also considering a chair - but I don't know which to try. Would you have a link to the one that you're using, or something similar?

Thanks!

It's just an IKEA office chair I bought about 15 years ago. There is nothing exactly like it here, but I recall it was about $80 on sale, so maybe the Malkolm.